Kate Upton’s Sam Edelman Hope Mules Proved Clear Heels Can Look Elegant

At the May 10, 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit event at Miami’s Ice Palace, Kate Upton paired a romantic Brock Collection floral skirt with bright-white Sam Edelman Hope stiletto mules. The clean, pointed shoes contrasted sharply with the skirt’s watercolor florals and ruffled silhouette.

The Hope captures one of the most recognizable footwear ideas of the late 2010s: transparent panels designed to visually recede against the foot. Sam Edelman combined the clear upper with a pointed toe, open back, and slim stiletto heel, giving the shoe the structure of a pump from the front and the lighter profile of a mule from the side.

At around 5’10” (177.8 cm) with a reported US size 9.5 shoe, Upton has worn everything from barely-there sandals and pointed pumps to boots and mules. For this Sports Illustrated appearance, the white Hope heels kept the focus on the printed skirt while still adding a clearly defined footwear element.

Kate Upton tops her floral Brock Collection Sylvi skirt with a fitted white tee and wide-brimmed straw hat at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit event in Miami on May 10, 2019, in Miami, Florida (Credit: Johnny Louis / WENN)

Upton completed the look with a fitted white T-shirt and wide-brimmed hat while promoting Strong4Me, the fitness program she created with trainer Ben Bruno. Her Brock Collection Sylvi midi skirt reflected the romantic, vintage-influenced aesthetic associated with the label founded by Kristopher Brock and Laura Vassar in 2014.

The Brock Collection skirt’s watercolor florals and sculpted peplum bring a romantic counterpoint to Kate Upton’s crisp white top and pointed mules

The Sylvi was made from silk jacquard printed with watercolor-style florals and finished with structured ruffles through the hip and hem. Its high waist and romantic print reflected Brock Collection’s feminine, vintage-influenced approach during this period.

The more streamlined element was on her feet. Upton wore Sam Edelman’s Hope mule, a pointed-toe style with an open back, slender stiletto heel, and transparent side panel.

Kate Upton’s white Sam Edelman Hope mules combine sharply pointed toes, open backs, and slim stiletto heels with transparent PVC panels

Kate Upton’s Sam Edelman Hope Mules and the Clear-Shoe Trend

Produced in bright white and black leather, the Hope used a transparent panel to expose much of the side of the foot while retaining the pointed shape of a classic pump. The combination of a closed toe, open heel, clear upper, and narrow stiletto placed the design squarely within the transparent-footwear trend that was especially visible in the late 2010s.

Upton’s white pair also explains why the shoe worked particularly well with this outfit. The leather toe echoed her white T-shirt, while the transparent sides prevented another solid block of color from competing with the floral print and ruffles of her Brock Collection skirt.

It was also not Upton’s first Sports Illustrated appearance in Sam Edelman footwear. At the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launch party in New York, she paired a copper Emilio Pucci gown with silver Sam Edelman Amee ankle-strap sandals. The two appearances show different sides of the brand: metallic strappy sandals with an evening gown in 2018 and graphic white-and-clear mules with a floral midi skirt the following year.

Upton’s connection with Sam Edelman continued beyond those Swimsuit events. Best Quality Luxury Shoes Online Store has also documented her in gray suede Sam Edelman Elina over-the-knee boots, while in 2023 she wore gold Sam Edelman heels to the Footwear News Achievement Awards, where she presented Sam and Libby Edelman with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

That repeat wear makes the Hope more than an isolated celebrity shoe sighting. Across sandals, boots, and heels, Upton has returned to Sam Edelman in noticeably different settings and silhouettes.

How Sam Edelman’s Mule Styles Have Evolved Since the Hope

The Hope itself belongs to a specific late-2010s moment, but the mule has remained part of Sam Edelman’s footwear lineup. As of September 2026, the brand’s women’s mule collection included 19 styles spanning flat, kitten-heel, block-heel, and stiletto-adjacent silhouettes.

Sam Edelman’s mule lineup spans polished loafers and pointed heels to feathered, metallic, suede, and floral designs, illustrating how varied the backless silhouette can be

The current assortment shows how broadly the category has evolved. Styles included the $150 Linnie Bit Mule, a loafer-inspired backless shoe; the $150 Margeaux Heeled Mule and $140 Jeanie Heeled Mule; the $120 Khai Mule; and the $130 Camille Kitten Mule Heel, which was discounted at the time. Materials ranged from smooth and croc-effect leather to suede, mesh, woven leather, satin, and raffia-inspired finishes.

That variety makes the Hope an interesting snapshot of an earlier phase in the same category. Its defining idea was visual disappearance: a clear panel made much of the upper appear almost absent. Sam Edelman’s 2026 mule assortment instead leaned into visible materials, texture, hardware, weaving, mesh, and different heel heights.

Sam Edelman Hope Pointed-Toe Stiletto Mules

The Hope’s defining detail is the clear side panel, which visually separates the leather pointed toe from the open heel. The design was offered in neutral leather finishes, including bright white and black, allowing the transparent construction rather than a bold color or embellishment to provide the shoe’s main visual interest.

In black, the Sam Edelman Hope reveals how its clear PVC strap creates the illusion of a more minimal, barely-there upper

The bright-white Sam Edelman Hope pairs an opaque leather toe and instep strap with transparent sections that expose the sides of the foot

Black leather gives the Sam Edelman Hope a sharper contrast between its pointed pump-like toe and see-through PVC construction

The white Hope mule shows Sam Edelman’s late-2010s take on the clear-shoe trend, balancing a wide leather strap with an almost invisible PVC panel

Why Sam Edelman Keeps Showing Up in Celebrity Wardrobes

Sam Edelman occupies a useful middle ground in celebrity footwear: the shoes follow many of the same silhouettes and trends seen in luxury collections without routinely carrying four-figure designer prices. That has made the brand a recurring red-carpet and off-duty choice, from barely-there evening sandals and pointed pumps to embellished boots and flats.

The appeal is also its range. A Sam Edelman shoe can disappear beneath an elaborate gown or become the focal point of a simpler outfit, and the celebrity looks below show how differently that formula has played out over the years.